Development trends and prospects of future networks

Abstract

The network and information technology has greatly promoted the development of human society, and cyberspace has become the fifth domain of human beings after land, sea, air, and outer space. With the further development of the information society, the business forms and demands of the Internet are undergoing tremendous changes. Hence, the traditional network architecture requires profound changes, which brings opportunities for future networks. In this paper, the development needs of future networks are analyzed firstly, and the new abilities required for the applications in the field of future networks are proposed. Furthermore, the key technologies and the development trends of future networks are discussed, such as Network 2030, network data plane programming, the low delay and deterministic network, the integrated framework for networking, caching and computing, network artificial intelligence, and network open-source. Finally, some significant engineering systems of future networks in China and forecasts of related development trends are introduced.